Thomson Reuters names top 100 global innovators

PHILADELPHIA, PA – The IP & Science business of Thomson Reuters announced its 2012 Top 100 Global Innovators list, honoring 100 corporations and institutions around the world that are at the heart of innovation as measured by a series of proprietary patent-related metrics. The full report is available at http://www.top100innovators.com.

Financial analysis of the acknowledged companies gives credence to their significance in that these organizations outperformed the S&P 500 by three percent in their market cap weighted revenue (15 percent versus 12 percent). This year’s winners also added 124,214 new jobs over their prior year employment figures.

“Innovation is the foundation for economic prosperity and technological advancement,” said David Brown, managing director, Thomson Reuters IP Solutions. “Our Top 100 Global Innovator methodology demonstrates the insight that can be gleaned from the analysis of patent data and confirms the fact that companies focused on innovating drive growth and financial success.”

Academic Institutions & Government EntitiesFor the first time, academic institutions and government entities made the list. The two 2012 university recipients are both from South Korea: Pohang University of Science and Technology and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. “The addition of South Korean academic institutions confirms the role government can play in encouraging innovation, as well as the longer-term potential for corporations and academia to collaborate in bringing new ideas to fruition,” said Mr. Brown.

The two government entities that made the list are from the U.S.: the Departments of the Army and the Navy, respectively. Research shows that the U.S. government has invested heavily in innovation, especially as related to matters of national security.

Molecule-Based vs. Technology-BasedThe Top 100 methodology, by virtue of its criteria, favors fast-moving, hyper-competitive industries such as computer hardware and semiconductors, where product lifecycles are short and advancements in technology are demanded by users. These technology-based industries grew by 18 percent and 29 percent, respectively. “That is not to say, however, that other industries are not also innovating,” said Mr. Brown. “R&D spend in pharmaceutical/chemical-focused industries is among the top in the world. Many organizations in these sectors are extremely innovative, yet they adhere to a different innovation model.”

Global DistributionThe U.S. continues to lead in the number of organizations it has on the list, with 47 this year. Asia has the next highest, with 32, comprising 25 from Japan and 7 from South Korea. There was a 75 percent increase in representation from South Korea over the prior year; the new entrants included two from academia and two scientific research centers. Europe has 21 honorees, with the largest representation coming from France (13). Year over year there are a larger number of recipients from the U.S. and Asia, and fewer from Europe.

Industry BreakoutThe semiconductor and electrical components industry continued to lead in 2012, with 18 representative companies, 29 percent more than in 2011. Computer hardware was the next most prolific industry, with 13 companies in this category. Other notable changes include a 133 percent increase in representation by the automotive industry (from three awardees in 2011 to seven in 2012) and a 40 percent increase in representation from transportation equipment manufacturing.